Media Information

World Tourism Forum Lucerne launches "Start-up Innovation Award"

The World Tourism Forum Lucerne – to be held in the central Swiss city on 23 and 24 April 2015 for the fourth time – is launching a "Start-Up Innovation Award". The award is aimed at promoting creative and innovative new business ideas in the global travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The first-place winner will receive US 10,000 dollars.

Lucerne, 4 February 2015 – The World Tourism Forum Lucerne, which is held every two years and attracts hundreds of top decision-makers to central Switzerland, is this year launching a new award – the "Start-up Innovation Award". The aim is to encourage creative and innovative new business ideas in the international tourism sector. The 2015 Forum will take place on 23 and 24 April and again attract to the KKL Lucerne some 400 top decision-makers from the fields of tourism, politics, business, finance and science. The award finalists will be invited to present their ideas to Forum participants, who will then choose the prizewinner and runners-up. First prize is worth USD 10,000; the two runners-up will each receive USD 5000. Interested candidates and start-up companies are invited to submit their entries by 23 February at the latest. Development of each concept must date back no longer than three years; and it must already be in the initial implementation phase or prepared to enter that phase within the coming 12 months. Further information and application forms: www.wtflucerne.org/innovation. The finalists will be pre-selected by an international 5-member jury.

Says Martin Barth, General Manager of the WTFL: "Innovation is a decisive growth factor for our industry – as again reflected in the programme for this year's World Tourism Forum Lucerne. Our jury will want to be convinced by idea innovation, concept creativity and dynamic development. But entries should also focus on their social and economic impact in respect of sustainable travel and tourism."

World Tourism Forum Lucerne

The WTFL is an interdisciplinary professional platform which offers decision makers in business, politics, science and finance an overview of current topics and trends in the global tourism industry. It is the only international platform enabling leading decision makers and emerging young talents in the industry to interact under the "Next Generation" designation. The World Tourism Forum Lucerne is supported by an international Advisory Board under the chairmanship of Reto Wittwer (former CEO and President Kempinski Hotels). The next World Tourism Forum Lucerne will take place on 23 and 24 April 2015. Further information: www.wtflucerne.org